If you have ever collected a parcel from the customs section of the Postal Corporation of Kenya (City Square), you know that it take upto seven employees to release an envelope ;-). It makes me wonder if Snow White really needed the Seven Dwarfs watching over her.

When picking a tiny parcel today, I had a total of seven people serve me. The first was the lady who brings the parcel to the counter and shouts "fungua"!...so that you open the parcel to reveal the contents. The second is the man who writes the details of the contents onto a receipt...without even announcing his intentions. When he cannot estimate a value for the contents (a disposable camera in this case), he sends you to officer number three.

The third officer is a man on the second mezzanine floor (strangely, it's above the 3rd Floor). He gives a value to the item and stamps the receipt. Unless you are bold enough to ask, no-one explains to you what is going on. They just scribble, stamp and shout commands at you...and off you go back to collect your already-open parcel. If you dare ask why he has over-valued the items you received, number 3 looks at you menacingly and declares "it's imported" or "that's the value in our database". A debate with him proves to be of no real benefit.

As you approach the original counter, someone shouts, "enda kwa cashier" and you are off again to meet the "fourth dwarf". The cashier looks happier than the other officers. I wonder why. He makes you pay fees you never imagined were justifiable and you head to the original counter again...but....before you get there, they point at another man - number five. You have to go there and pay the "handling fee" of 70 bob.

Finally, you can collect the item from the first two officers. They present to you the open parcel with a smile as though satisfied that they have extracted enough from you. On the way out, you notice the door is closed. It is 12:30pm...and these officers are already itching for lunch so they have made sure no new clients walk in. Before you can walk out, officer number six at the door has to stamp the you receipt again. If we count the officer who placed the notification in my postal box, the parcel has been handled by seven officers.

And we wonder why DHL and other services report profits while our well established corporations languish.